@Work: Donna Thurman

Owner of Fountain Oaks Alpacas Inc.

By Jacqui JanetzkoCorrespondent

Published: Sunday, January 27, 2013 at 8:39 p.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, January 27, 2013 at 8:39 p.m.

Why she started the business: “I worked as a chief financial officer since 1980 and I retired in June 2011. … I never left my office for all of those years. … My husband had grown up living on a farm with horses and chickens and he wanted to go back to the farm and the peaceful life. It was just about getting out of the rat race. His partner in real estate got him interested in alpacas so we went to shows and it was probably a year or so that we were investigating them before we bought four females that were pregnant and a cria, which is a baby on the ground, in 2005.”

Facts

DONNA THURMAN

Why she chose alpacas: “Suri alpacas are easier to take care of than cattle or horses just because of the size. Goats are almost the same but they tear up the yard.

Best part about the job: “I was cooped up in an office wearing business suits all day. Now I'm loving being outside. It's so nice going from one world to another. The animals are also more predictable. We had 275 employees who weren't often very predictable.

Why alpaca hair is highly prized: “Alpaca fur is really expensive but is better quality than cashmere. … I was reading a biography on Abraham Lincoln and it said that when he was running for Congress he put on his best alpaca suit. I've seen one, it looks like something you buy from Neiman Marcus because it is so shiny, light and such a beautiful product.

Why she makes items out of alpaca fur: “The more we can do for ourselves and the more skills we have, the better off we are. I'm learning to do more things to be as self-reliant as possible.

How alpacas helped her heal: “After we were on the farm for a year my husband had a heart attack here. I later broke my foot, not because of the animals but because of something stupid, then I developed blood clots in both lungs and spent a week in ICU. It was a long recovery at home. … Between all those things I don't think I could have made it (without the alpacas). They are therapy to me.”

What people don't know: “Everything always looks more glamorous to someone not doing it every day. But you get a sick animal and there are unpleasant things that you have to do sometimes. And when you might have to put an animal down on occasion — that's a side of things that people don't really see or want to think about.”

Have an idea for a business profile? Contact Jacqui Janetzko, Star-Banner correspondent, at jacqui.janetzko@gmail.com.

<p><b>Why she started the business: </b> “I worked as a chief financial officer since 1980 and I retired in June 2011. … I never left my office for all of those years. … My husband had grown up living on a farm with horses and chickens and he wanted to go back to the farm and the peaceful life. It was just about getting out of the rat race. His partner in real estate got him interested in alpacas so we went to shows and it was probably a year or so that we were investigating them before we bought four females that were pregnant and a cria, which is a baby on the ground, in 2005.”</p><p><b>Why she chose alpacas: </b> “Suri alpacas are easier to take care of than cattle or horses just because of the size. Goats are almost the same but they tear up the yard.</p><p><b>Best part about the job: </b> “I was cooped up in an office wearing business suits all day. Now I'm loving being outside. It's so nice going from one world to another. The animals are also more predictable. We had 275 employees who weren't often very predictable.</p><p><b>Why alpaca hair is highly prized: </b> “Alpaca fur is really expensive but is better quality than cashmere. … I was reading a biography on Abraham Lincoln and it said that when he was running for Congress he put on his best alpaca suit. I've seen one, it looks like something you buy from Neiman Marcus because it is so shiny, light and such a beautiful product.</p><p><b>Why she makes items out of alpaca fur: </b> “The more we can do for ourselves and the more skills we have, the better off we are. I'm learning to do more things to be as self-reliant as possible.</p><p><b>How alpacas helped her heal: </b> “After we were on the farm for a year my husband had a heart attack here. I later broke my foot, not because of the animals but because of something stupid, then I developed blood clots in both lungs and spent a week in ICU. It was a long recovery at home. … Between all those things I don't think I could have made it (without the alpacas). They are therapy to me.”</p><p><b>What people don't know: </b> “Everything always looks more glamorous to someone not doing it every day. But you get a sick animal and there are unpleasant things that you have to do sometimes. And when you might have to put an animal down on occasion — that's a side of things that people don't really see or want to think about.”</p><p><i>Have an idea for a business profile? Contact Jacqui Janetzko, Star-Banner correspondent, at jacqui.janetzko@gmail.com.</i></p>